1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automated sewing device for automatically sewing together two juxtaposed end portions respective of two different base materials of different shapes each of which has been cut formed in a predetermined shape.
2. Description of Prior Art
The automated sewing device of the afore-stated kind is known in the art, and in particular, various kinds of automated sewing devices have been disclosed, which are capable of automatically sewing a curved end of one base material with a rectilinear or uneven end of another base material, or vice versus. Typical examples of such sewing devices are known from the Japanese Laid-Open Utility Model Publication No. 54-72966, the Japanese Patent No. 2691737, and the Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 7-194870.
According to this sort of automated sewing device, generally stated, a guide base plate is fixed on a table of a sewing machine, or a guide means is provided on the sewing machine, and a movable guide plate, on which one base material is to be secured, is movably provided relative to the guide base plate or the guide means. The movable guide plate is guided and moved by those guide base plate and guide means in a direction wherein one end of such one base material secured on that movable guide plate is sewn with one end of another base material. Thus, in operation, with the movable guide plate being guided as such, both first and second materials are automatically sewn together at their respective one end thereof. Such automatic sewing operation is effected until all the ends of the two materials are completely sewn together from a sewing start point to a terminal sewing point.
In this respect, some of the first base materials have one end curved outwardly, assuming a generally elbowed shape, which has an entire length generally equal to a distance between the foregoing sewing start and terminal sewing points. In that case, such outwardly curved end of the first base material, when placed on the movable guide plate, projects outwardly a certain amount, as a seam allowance, from the edge of the movable guide plate. Thus, the movable guide plate itself is inevitably formed in a shape to compensate for such amount of outward projection. As a result thereof, practically, when both first base material and movable guide plate are moved by feeding of the sewing machine for sewing operation, the movable guide plate travels rotatively and outwardly along a path where it is to brought to contact with a worker who operates the sewing device, all along the sewing process from the start point to the terminal point.
Conventionally, to avoid such contact of the movable guide plate with the worker who operates the sewing device and manipulates the first and second base materials, a large size of stationary guide plate is provided, which has a wider area than a range within which the movable guide plate travels, thereby allowing the movable guide plate to move without its contact with the worker.
However, the provision of large-sized stationary guide plate has been found defective in that a local part thereof extends to the worker more widely than the ordinary stationary guide plate, hence giving a long distance between the sewing needle and the worker, and in operation, the worker must extend his or her body portion to take an undesired posture when guiding the second base material with his or her hands towards the first base material which is being moved due to the movement of the movable guide plate on which it is secured along a predetermined path upon the stationary guide plate,